Tension indicator for sewing machines



April 9, 1935.

J. HUTTON' A 1,996,964

TENSION INDICATOR FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed July 7, 1932 TTH B 7W Patented Apr. 9, 1935 p i 7 1,996,964

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" TENSION INDICATOR FOR SEWIN V MACHINES John Hutton, Winnipeg, ltlanitoba, Canada Application July 7,1932, Serial No. 621,199

1 Claim. (01. 242150) The invention relates to improvements in tenand acts to prevent rotary movement of the plate sion indicators for sewing machines and an object on the spindle. The arrangement is such that of the invention is to provide a simply constructed one can rock the plate on the spindle by pulling inexpensive and durable device which can be the lower end of the lever forwardly. V

5 easily and accurately set by the operator to in- The spindle carries also'in advance of the plate, 5

sure of a desired thread tension depending on the a pair of cupped discs 8 and 9 placed with their nature of the work being done, it being underrounded faces facing one another and it is bestood that primarily the operator will be provided tween these discs that the customary thread I!) with a chart or an instruction sheet indicating used for sewing purposes passes,the thread being 10 settings for certain classes of work although this tensioned between the discs by the action of a 10 may be dispensed with as the operator gains excoiled spring i I mounted on the spindle and havperience. ing the inner end engaging the outer disc and A further objectis to construct the invention the other end engaging a thumb nut l2 screw so that it can be installed on existing sewing mathreaded on the outer end of the spindle. I

chines with but little added expense or change The above parts are of ordinary construction 15 in existing structure. and obviously there is nothing to visibly indi- A more detailed object of the invention is to cate to the user just where to set the thumb provide a tension indicator which presents a stanut in order to obtain the proper. tensioning of tionary numbered dial and a pointer which latter the thread for any particular class of sewing to can be set in respect to the dial to give at each be done. i 20 setting point a desired tension for a certain class According to my invention, I supply the sewof work. ing machine with a stationary annular dial l3 With the above more important objects in view, which is mounted concentric to the spindle and the invention consists essentially in the arrangeis carried by two legs [4 suitably secured to the ment and construction of parts hereinafter more dial and head i. The thumb nut [2 previously 25 particularly described, reference being had to the mentioned is utilized to carry a circular setting i accompanying drawing, in which:--- plate l5 having a somewhat less diameter than Fig. l is a front View of a portion of a sewing the internal diameter of the dial and the setting machine equipped with my invention. plate is provided with a pointer l6 adapted to Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed side view of the operate over the dial. At present the thumb 30 device. nut carries no plate but in my case, the setting Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed vertical sectional plate would be integrally formed with the nut view at 33 Figure 1. so that the nut actually becomes a screw threaded Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed face view of the hub carried by the latter plate. dial. When this device is initially made, one will 35 In'the drawing like characters of reference initially test it by sewing the different classes indicate corresponding parts in the several figof goods and by using different threads with ures. those goods. For example, a relatively coarse At the present'time, sewing machines are prothread will be used normally in sewing heavy 40 vided with various devices for tensioning the coating and under such conditions, it will be 40 thread used and the operator has to more or less found that a relatively light tensioning of the guess at the setting as there is not as far as I thread is desired whereas, on the other hand, am aware any visible indicator whichpermits where silks, muslins and other fine goods are of the ready and accurate setting of the tensionbeing sewn, a line thread will require to be used ing means. j and a heavier tensioning and in between these, L5

The customary hollow vertical head I of the there will be other tensioning settings for broadsewing machine is at present supplied with a cloth, tweed, linen, cotton, shirting and so forth. horizontally disposed stationary spindle 2 which After it has been determined by actual test has the outer end screw threaded and split lonjust what setting of the pointer in relation to the gitudinally as indicated at 3. dial is most desirable under the various normal so On the inner end of the spindle, a plate 4 is sewing conditions met with in the average houseloosely mounted and the plate is supplied at the hold, one will mark the dial at the found points under side with a downwardly extending lever 5 and will then definitely indicate these points by and at the top side with an inwardly extending numbers such as 9, Ill, H, l2, l3, l4 and I5 as 5 finger 6 which finger enters a hole I in the head herein shown and may place intermediate marks linen, he will set the pointer at I0 between the major markings for other possibilities. Having done this, a charter instruction sheet will be also supplied and on this, the numbers appearing on the dial will be placed and opposite these numbers will be given a definite explanation of the nature of the goods andthe kind of thread to be used when sewing at such setting. After a time, the operator will become accustomed to the numbers and will then of course not require to refer to the chart.

To make the matter quite clear, I might now give a few examples. If one is to sew say a heavy coating material and with a number forty thread, he will set the pointer at It) on the dial and will then proceed to sew and it will be found that with such setting a proper tensioning of the thread is obtained.

If he is sewing broadcloth, tweed and coarse If he is sewing cotton, he will set it at l I. If he is sewing cotton shifting, he will set it at I2 and if sewing silk or muslin, he will set it at I4 4. Obviously the particular markings used on the dial are optional but when once selected, any chosen marking must give the proper tensioning of the thread for the particular goods to be sewn at that indicating mark and as set by the pointer. The first mark on the dial, and indicated herein by the number 9, represents the position of the parts when the inner face of the setting plate I5 first engages the outer end of the spring and would actually indicate zero tension.

What I claim as my invention is:-

The combination with the head of a sewing machine, a spindle secured to and extending outwardly from the head and a thread tensioning device carried by the spindle and embodying an adjusting nut screw threaded on the outer end of the spindle and adapted when rotated to vary.

the tension of the thread, of an annular dial positioned concentricto and receiving the forward end of the spindle and having the opening therein of greater diameter than the nut and the front face thereof provided with a graduated scale indicating desirable and predetermined thread tensions, spacing legs permanently supporting the dial from the head and a pointer secured to the nut to rotate therewith over the front face of the dial.

JOHN HUT'ION. 

